Gays in The Military: The Ultimate Oxymoron

Homosexuals are increasingly fighting tooth and nail demanding that their basic rights as human beings be respected. However, these efforts are greatly undermined when these same people choose to serve in the military, one of the greatest violators of human rights that exists. Why the contradiction?

The gay community has long prided itself on its ideals of peace, love and unity. One of the main arguments of the gay community is that they are heavily discriminated against for their sexual orientation, which is true, and that all they want is for others respect their lifestyle choices and respect them as fellow human beings. This is a basic right that every one of us is entitled to as a member of the human race. One cannot but admire members of the gay community for standing up for their rights as human beings, and promoting tolerance and freedom from prejudice.

Parallel to this, there is an increasingly heated battle being waged in relation to the presence of homosexuals in the military. Most conservatives would prefer to continue with the policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in which members of the army that are gay must stay in the closet during the time of service. Recently, Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed amid much controversy and bickering across party lines.

However, lost in all this political and social rhetoric is the fact that the very notion of gays in the military defies all conventional logic. Think about it. Here is a community of people that pride themselves on being peaceful, loving individuals. The rainbow flag that characterizes the gay movement is sometimes used to symbolize other pacifist movements as well. And yet, a good percentage of them voluntarily enlist in an organization whose mandate run completely counter to these ideals.

All divisions of the armed forces, whether they be the marines, the air force, or the navy, have one main purpose for existing: to find and kill the enemy. Simple as that. In carrying out this mandate, the military forces of all countries in the world have been known to commit gross human rights abuses. Hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians die at the hands of the military every year. The military is one the greatest violators of human rights in the history of mankind.

So why would members of a pacifist movement such as the gay community want to be even remotely associated with such a barbaric organization? Are these people confused about where their own personal beliefs lie? Only they can give us some kind of an answer and attempt to explain their reasoning.

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